It's time for me to reminisce about my favourite concert experiences! I've been to a fair amount of gigs in my time: some great, some terrible, and some I don't remember all that well (thanks 130 King St. !).
Here we go.
5) The Sadies- "My Heart of Wood". Fall 2008 at the Starlight in Waterloo, Ontario. 
This was the first time I saw the Sadies, and this moment was when I really fell in love with them. If you know me and my taste in music, you probably know that the Sadies are one of my favourite bands, and "My Heart of Wood" is one of my favourite songs. This was the show that really started it all. I went with my roommates Justin and Catherine, and we had an amazing time. The Sadies played a double set, and a total of... shit was it 57 songs? These guys are really the hardest working band in Canada. "My Heart of Wood" was what really hooked me, and I listened to exclusively the Sadies (and Neko Case) for weeks after.
This was the first time I saw the Sadies, and this moment was when I really fell in love with them. If you know me and my taste in music, you probably know that the Sadies are one of my favourite bands, and "My Heart of Wood" is one of my favourite songs. This was the show that really started it all. I went with my roommates Justin and Catherine, and we had an amazing time. The Sadies played a double set, and a total of... shit was it 57 songs? These guys are really the hardest working band in Canada. "My Heart of Wood" was what really hooked me, and I listened to exclusively the Sadies (and Neko Case) for weeks after.4) Great Lake Swimmers- "Various Stages" / "There is a Light". Stay Out of the Mall at the Ebar in Guelph, Ontario. I believe it was November 16th, 2006. The show had six acts, with Great Lake Swimmers being the final act of a very long night. The audience was full of hippies, some dancing, and some sitting on the floor. I remember standing, in awe. They opened their set beautifully with "Various Stages", which happened to be my favourite song of theirs at the time. Later in the show, they played a new song. One that I had in my head for weeks after. It had this great lyric of "put all your weapons away, and end all your casual ties" (see that sweet wordplay!). It ended up being "There is a Light", which is on their third album Ongiara. How perfect. I'm kind of in love with Tony Dekker. These songs are two reasons why.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V69X4XSvXNY (song actually starts about 3:15 in)
(these aren't actually from the show I went to, obviously!)
3) Broken Social Scene- "All the Gods". January 21st, 2006. Kool Haus in Toronto, Ontario. This show was fucking incredible, and I was like the most rabid bss fan at that time. The way they opened with "All the Gods" is seriously one of the most perfect musical moments I've ever experienced. The anticipation for the show to begin was so tense. We'd been waiting there for hours, somehow found our way relatively close to the stage, and were waiting impatiently for the band to actually take the stage. No opener to sit through, this show was serious. "All the Gods" was a b-side that had leaked like the week before the show, and the band came out, and started playing it mostly in the dark. As they hit the lyrics with Kevin Drew screaming "all the Gods!", the stage was lit in bright white light. A bit cheesy sure, but fuck, it sent chills down my spine. Here's a video of the show... "Almost Crimes" with Feist and Amy Millan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-am9Hm7BdWA
2) Constantines- "Nighttime Anytime" (It's Alright). The Starlight in Waterloo, Ontario. 
The date on this one I have a hard time remembering. I've seen the Cons a few times, and each show is incredible. I think this was the second time I saw them somewhere in late 2006 or early 2007. I'll give you a video of what they're like live, but seriously, videos fail to capture just how intense and awesome Cons shows actually are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWlNqqYUWXU Anyway, this show was the first time really that I went to a gig that felt like a party. Pretty much all of my friends were there, and it turned into this awesome dance party for us, because we were all huge Cons fans. "Nighttime Anytime" was my favourite moment, because my friend Matt Paterson (of Trap Tiger. Sure, a shameless plug, but it's also his birthday! Happy birthday, Matty!), grabbed my shoulder at the start of this song, and went "THIS SONG'S FOR YOU!" I always think of that whenever I hear that song. Thanks, Matt. :)
The date on this one I have a hard time remembering. I've seen the Cons a few times, and each show is incredible. I think this was the second time I saw them somewhere in late 2006 or early 2007. I'll give you a video of what they're like live, but seriously, videos fail to capture just how intense and awesome Cons shows actually are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWlNqqYUWXU Anyway, this show was the first time really that I went to a gig that felt like a party. Pretty much all of my friends were there, and it turned into this awesome dance party for us, because we were all huge Cons fans. "Nighttime Anytime" was my favourite moment, because my friend Matt Paterson (of Trap Tiger. Sure, a shameless plug, but it's also his birthday! Happy birthday, Matty!), grabbed my shoulder at the start of this song, and went "THIS SONG'S FOR YOU!" I always think of that whenever I hear that song. Thanks, Matt. :)1) Wolf Parade- "I'll Believe in Anything". August 9th, 2008. Kool Haus, Toronto, Ontario. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVNZBtuNnaE This one should come as no surprise to anyone who was there. Another show I went to with a huge pack of friends, we went absolutely mental during this song (the one that speaks to us all, we'd been waiting for it the entire show). It was the last song of the encore, and we knew from the opening notes what song it was. I remember Dan's sweaty hair hitting me in the face, us screaming along the lyrics, Spencer Krug calling us "sweet", and so so so much love. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
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